Sorry, Chicago Cubs, youre not the only team in this years baseball playoffs that gets to play the misery card.The Curse of the Billy Goat is a good one.Extra credit, for sure, for going more than a century without winning the World Series.But the Cleveland Indians know a thing or two about postseason disappointment. So do the Texas Rangers. And dont even get us started on Washington and its long-suffering fans.First in war, first in peace, last World Series title?That would be 1924, when the winning hit ricocheted off a pebble in what remains the first and only postseason break to go their way in the nations capital.So, if the Cubbies want to sulk over their two Series titles -- the last of which came in 1908, shortly before William Taft was elected to the White House -- they wont get a lot of sympathy from the city that endured two different versions of the Washington Senators (both of them terrible, for the most part) before landing the Nationals.In Cleveland, they once had a team known as the Spiders that went 20-134. The Indians last World Series championship came in 1948, with World War II still fresh in everyones minds. Theyve been back to big dance only three times since then, losing every one of `em. The last of those was especially galling. In 1997, Cleveland was three outs from the title in Game 7 but lost to the Florida Marlins in extra innings.Texas certainly deserves a mention, even though its only been a part of the big leagues since 1972. In an interesting twist, the second version of the Senators moved to the Lone Star State, but only after forfeiting its final game in Washington when outraged fans stormed the field in the ninth inning.They shouldnt have gone to all that trouble.The Rangers lost 100 games in their inaugural season, 105 in Year 2. When they finally made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history in 1996, they squandered a 4-0 lead at home in the deciding game, losing 6-4 to the New York Yankees.But that little exercise in heartache was merely a warmup for 2011, when the Rangers made it to their second straight World Series (having lost, of course, in their first).With a three games to two lead on the St. Louis Cardinals and up 7-5 in the bottom of the ninth in Game 6, Texas was one strike from its first title when David Freese -- ugh, the mere mention of that name still turns the stomach of Rangers fans -- tripled in the tying runs.On to the 10th, where the Rangers restored their two-run cushion on Josh Hamiltons homer. The Cardinals were once again down to their final strike before Lance Berkman drove in the tying run, again denying a Texas-sized celebration that, alas, would never come.At that point, the outcome was a merely formality. The baseball gods have given the Rangers their chance -- two of them, actually -- and they had blown it both times. The Cardinals scored the winning run in the bottom of the 11th, and then won Game 7.That had to sting, but Indians fans will counter with what theyve endured over the last 68 years. After setting a then-American League record with 111 victories in 1954, Cleveland was swept by the New York Giants in a World Series best known for Willie Mays amazing over-the-shoulder catch in the deepest part of the Polo Grounds, a highlight that still taunts the Indians to this day.It would be 41 years before Cleveland made another postseason appearance, which culminated with another World Series loss, this one to Atlanta, which failed to win the Series any other season in their unprecedented run of 14 straight division titles. Thankfully for the Braves, they got one shot against the Indians.Three years later, Cleveland took a 2-1 lead to the bottom of the ninth against the Marlins, but closer Jose Mesa surrendered Craig Counsells tying sacrifice fly. In the 11th, second baseman Tony Fernandez let an easy grounder slip under his glove for an error, and Florida scored the season-ending run with two outs on Edgar Renterias soft little liner up the middle, the ball skimming off the tip of pitcher Charles Nagys glove and landing just out of the reach of Fernandez.Washington hasnt even been to the World Series since 1933 -- a longer drought than any other big league city, Chicago included. The Senators lone title came in the midst of the Roaring Twenties against the New York Giants, the winning run scoring in the bottom of the 12th of Game 7 on a routine grounder that took a bad hop.That would be the extent of Washingtons good fortune.The following year, the Senators were up three games to one in the World Series but couldnt close the deal against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Washington hasnt been that close to a title since, though their latest team added a worthy chapter to the citys hall of postseason shame in 2012.In the decisive Game 5 of the NL Division Series, at home no less, the Nationals built a 6-0 lead through three innings and were up 7-5 on St. Louis heading to the ninth.With the Cardinals down to their final out, closer Drew Storen walked back-to-back hitters and then surrendered a pair of two-run singles to send St. Louis on to the next round.For Washington, it was a familiar ending.One they know well in Cleveland and Texas, too.Take that, Curse of the Billy Goat.---Paul Newberry is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at pnewberry(at)ap.org or at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry . Wholesale Stitched Jerseys . 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Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. LONDON -- It might be billed as a one-off, two-night special, but dont think for a minute that WWE hasnt got its eyes on bedding down with a permanent presence in the United Kingdom.Paul Triple H Levesque, WWE executive VP of talent, live events & creative, pulled no punches when asked about WWEs ambitions for all of its brands across the pond.Well do 30-ish events here in the coming year, and were putting together plans now for the next four years, and really trying to stamp what we do here for the long term, Levesque told ESPN.The latest WWE brand to be launched, the United Kingdom Championship tournament, was announced in a bombshell news conference at Londons O2 Arena on Thursday morning.Although Levesque told ESPN that plans for the 16-man, single elimination competition -- which will take place live on the WWE Network Jan. 14-15 in Blackpool, England -- have been in the works for over a year, the timing of the announcement is certainly intriguing.Free-to-air U.K. terrestrial television channel ITV recently commissioned a one-off wrestling special, under the old World of Sport Wrestling banner that used to air in the 1980s, with the pilot set to be screened on New Years Eve in a prime-time slot.If the show is successful, it could become a regular staple of ITVs lineup. But while World of Sport Wrestling is looking to lock performers down to contracts, William Regal confirmed to What Culture Pro Wrestling in London that talent featuring in the U.K. Championship tournament will be free to work for other U.K. promotions.WWE has always had a very special relationship with the U.K., and I think this is another step in that relationship, of putting our foot on the ground and not only saying this is our home away from home, its our home, Levesque added.Thats the goal, is to become a weekly show. Hopefully we can make that work out, a weekly show that can feature the best of the U.K. talent and put that out there in a way that gives talent here a clear path into the WWE. Starting here and moving up the line and going through things. I think thats a huge opportunity and will help everybody down the line.With the popularity of cable television declining in the United States, and streaming platforms on the rise, it makes sense that WWE could be preparing the groundwork for a global territory system.The U.K. Championship tournament will no doubt provide a pipeline of local talent to WWEs developmental promotion, NXT, and Mexico, Japan and Canada would be obvious candidates in which to set up similar promotions.Its a way for us to get more talent, period, talent that want to lace up boots and put on trunks and do this, Levesque said. One of the things I found five years ago when we started this process [of the WWE Network], was giving people a pathway to get to the WWE. It gives us a platform like nothing else to go and do this type of content. I think you see that with NXT becoming its own brand, and the cruiserweights with 205 Live. That same process is beginning to happen there. And this is another step in that direction. Theres a systematic approach.[Before] it kind of was this pipe dream. You hear people like?Finn Balor?or Nigel McGuinness say, It was always my dream, but just how do you do it, right? You just kind of do what?you do and you do it for so long that maybe someone will see me or maybe Ill get my stuff in the right perssons hands, but how?Balor did eventually make it to WWE in 2014, via NXT, after having wrestled for 14 years on the independent circuit, including eight years in New Japan Pro Wrestling.ddddddddddddMcGuinness, on the other hand, saw his in-ring career ended prematurely by health issues in 2011, after a deal with WWE fell through in 2009 for the same reason. But he will commentate on the U.K. Championship tournament alongside Michael Cole and Regal at the Empress Ballroom.Whether its a Pete Dunne or a Trent Seven or a Wolfgang, or any of the guys in this tournament -- theyre good, theyre really good, and youre gonna see that here, Levesque said. Were taking these guys and giving them the platform to show the world what they can do so they can fulfill their dreams and be a part of the WWE.People can put it out there in any way they want. Success is not just measured by getting to that, theres a lot of successful people [outside WWE], but I think anybody with any level of success, if you said, Would you like to be at Wrestlemania in front of 100,000 people? its a different level of success.Many of the 16 men competing in the U.K. Championship tournament have been pooled from Insane Championship Wrestling, Progress and Revolution Pro.Going forward, Levesque said WWE will work with the U.K. independent promotions to cultivate talent and provide them with a global platform.The only way you get better at this is by doing it and getting to those big dances and doing this with more pressure on you, he added. As they progress, theyre going from there to NXT or to Raw or SmackDown and making their way up that ladder.And to me now, if Im a kid looking at that, and Im sitting at Raw, now that burns into my head -- Im gonna do this for a living. Heres what I gotta do. I get trained, I go here, I go there. Theres my way to the top. It gives you a goal.There are several names conspicuous by their absence from the U.K. Championship tournament -- the three British stars not under a WWE banner who are most known to global audiences. Zack Sabre Jr. competed in the Cruiserweight Classic this past summer but is not believed to be tied down to a deal anywhere. Theres a definitive reason for Ring of Honor duo Marty Scurll and Will Ospreay (who also has a contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling), as those contracts restrict them from competing for WWE.Levesque confirmed to ESPN, though, that a name like Ospreay is definitely on WWEs radar.Will Ospreay is an amazing talent, he said. Theres a lot of amazing talent out there. When theyre available, when its the right time for them, I wanna work with all of them.Its funny to me people say things along the lines of this guy is an amazing talent but maybe hes not the right fit, or this guy doesnt have the experience. If theyre great at this, then talent is talent, Levesque continued. I wanna bring in the best talent; I wanna help them be better. I wanna take our process and help them be the best they can be.Some people go like, Oh, they try to fix things. We dont try to fix things, we try to make them better. I learn something new every single day about the business because it changes on a daily basis. Anybody [who] thinks they dont have anything to learn in this business is crazy. ' ' '